In a significant cybercrime bust, the Tenkasi District Cybercrime Police in Tamil Nadu have arrested six engineering graduates in connection with a sophisticated online ‘old coin task’ cyber fraud racket that was being operated through Telegram and other digital channels. The arrests expose how even well-educated youngsters are being drawn into organised internet scams that defraud unsuspecting victims and violate cyber law.
What Is the ‘Old Coin Task’ Scam?
Police say the fraud — known locally as the “old coin task” scam — was part of a broader inter-state online gambling and digital fraud network that used fake “tasks” and online missions to lure people into funding accounts controlled by the suspects. Telegram and similar messaging platforms served as the main communication channels for directing “participants” in the scheme.
While exact details about how the “old coin task” was pitched to victims have not been publicly disclosed by investigators, this type of scam often involves offering quick monetary gains for performing simple-sounding digital tasks such as collecting or “mining” old coin images, engaging in repetitive actions, or providing bank details — only to siphon funds from participants’ accounts. Similar online task-based frauds have been reported across India, where criminals promise earnings and then turn payments and account access to their advantage.
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Arrests and Evidence Seized
The Tenkasi Cybercrime unit, acting on credible intelligence and tracing suspicious activity, located and arrested six engineering graduates from the Sivaganga and Pudukkottai districts in Tamil Nadu this Sunday. Police did not immediately name the suspects, but they confirmed that all were young engineering degree holders — a troubling sign of how cybercrime can draw academically qualified individuals into illegal operations.
During the raids and subsequent searches, investigators recovered a substantial haul of materials that will be used as evidence in ongoing proceedings, including:
- 10 mobile phones
- 33 SIM cards
- 68 ATM cards
These items are now being analysed for digital evidence, messaging logs, account patterns and money trails that link the suspects’ activities to the online fraud scheme and the financial transactions they allegedly coordinated.
Police said the number of SIM cards and ATM cards suggests these suspects were operating a complex, multi-account structure — a common tactic in cyber fraud where perpetrators avoid easy tracing by shifting money through multiple accounts and communication channels.
Youth and Cybercrime: A Disturbing Trend
Law enforcement officials have expressed concern that well-educated youth, including engineering graduates, are being drawn into cybercrime due to easy money promises or peer pressure within online groups. The Tenkasi arrest is one among several recent instances where younger adults have been implicated in digital fraud rings — from fake job scams to investment and task-based frauds.
Cybercrime specialists highlight that Telegram, WhatsApp and other encrypted platforms are increasingly being used by fraudsters to coordinate activities because of their anonymity and difficulty of traceability, allowing suspects to recruit collaborators and victims across state borders.
Legal Action and Next Steps
The six arrested suspects have been taken into custody and are expected to be produced before a local magistrate court in Tenkasi for remand and formal charging under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Information Technology Act, 2000, which cover cheating, fraud, unauthorised access to computer systems, and misuse of electronic communications.
Police investigators continue to trace financial transactions linked to the scam and are monitoring account activity to determine how funds were moved and whether additional accomplices are involved. They are also analysing digital communication records to connect online directions, tasks and participants with the accused.
Authorities have urged the public and especially students, recent graduates and job-seekers to be wary of online “task” offers that promise easy money with little effort, saying such schemes are often disguises for fraud and can result in loss of funds or legal trouble.
About the author – Rehan Khan is a law student and legal journalist with a keen interest in cybercrime, digital fraud, and emerging technology laws. He writes on the intersection of law, cybersecurity, and online safety, focusing on developments that impact individuals and institutions in India.
